Openly gay mixologist Lucy Brennan, the charming owner of Mint Bistro and the adjacent 820 Lounge, has become celebrated internationally for her distinctive cocktail concoctions, from the Bella (blackberry puree, vodka and lemo-lime served in a sugared martini glass) to the strangely delicious Avocado Daiquiri. The native of London, England has even written a cocktail recipe book, Hip Sips.
Here at her restaurant-bar complex in Portland's up-and-coming Eliot neighborhood (on the east side of the Willamette River, midway between the Alberta Arts District and trendy East Burnside's restaurants and bars, and also close to the Mississippi Avenue Arts District), you'll encounter a mixed crowd of scenesters and bon vivants enjoying superb food and drink. The kitchen's well-crafted world-beat cuisine includes pork-tenderloin satay with a peanut-coconut dipping sauce, and buffalo rib-eye with horseradish demi-glace, white-bean puree, and sauteed braising greens.
